Lithuania:- Baltic Pride 2010 will be a test of liberty

Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is the setting for Baltic Pride 2010, which is due to take place on the 7th and 8th of May. The event is organised by LGBT organisations from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

It's taking place just two months after a new law comes into force in Lithuania, which bans the promotion of “any concept of the family other than that set down in the constitution”. This law is an amended version of an earlier draft which specifically mentioned homosexuality, which threatened to put the country on a collision course with the European Union.

Though Lithuania's President claims that “The homophobic clauses have been removed. The law is in line with European standards”, most activists feel that the broad brush approach of the new legislation mean that officials and police will have every opportunity to act as they please against the gay community. The wording of the law also makes it difficult to take complaints to the European Court of Human Rights.

As Vladimir Simonko, from the Lithuanian Gay League, told UK GayNews earlier this month, “From now on, any of our public events could fall under that clause and be banned”